The present invention relates to grinding wheel apparatus and, more particularly, to a grinding wheel advancing apparatus capable of adjusting the position of the grinding wheel in relation to wear of the wheel.
In certain operations such as hardness testing of metal objects such as railway wheels, it is necessary prior to such hardness testing to grind a small area of the object. In order not to damage the object for its intended use, it is desirable to grind only to a preselected depth, thereby removing only a small amount of metal from the object being tested. In high output production operation, it is desirable to have such grinding operation automated. One problem which has arisen in the automating of such operation is the wear of the grinding wheel. With the grinding wheel diameter constantly decreasing due to wear, it has proven difficult to automate a process wherein a constant relatively shallow depth of metal is removed from the object.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grinding apparatus capable of adjusting the grinding wheel position dependent on wheel wear.